Private Practice Recap 11/20/12 Season 6 Episode 6 ‘Apron Strings’

When Addison left Seattle and came to what was then Oceanside Wellness, she was on the look-out for two things: a baby, and someone to share her life with. Now on Private Practice that she has a stable relationship with Jake and is the doting mother of Henry, it means it’s time to re-examine one of these core issues. What does it mean to be a mother?

The Private Practice writers said before the season started that they were taking a different approach to story-telling this year, and that has certainly been the case. After the first few episodes that focused on Pete’s death, the last few episodes have been a departure for this show. Two episodes ago we had the frantic E.R. Greys-Anatomy-like pacing. Last week we had the Sam reality show. And this episode is all about Addison and motherhood, with most of the sub-plots coming from guest stars that we’re not as familiar with.

The biggest struggle for Addison this week is that Judy, Henry’s birth mother, has come back into the picture. After eight months of silence, she has decided that she wants to come visit again. Addison and Judy had agreed upon an open adoption, so this is perfectly within her rights, but of course it sets off alarm bells for Addison: is she a good enough mother? Will Judy be happy with the job she is doing? And, most of all, is it a bad sign that Judy is popping up now?